Federal Grand Jury in South Bend Returns Indictment

Federal Grand Jury in South Bend Returns Indictment

SOUTH BEND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced that a Grand Jury sitting in South Bend, Indiana, returned the following Indictment on January 14, 2015:

Damon Aaron Watford, 19, and Jermont Dwayne Moore, 18, both of South Bend, Indiana, were charged in a six-count Indictment. Watford was charged with two counts of Hobbs Act violations and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Moore was charged with two counts of Hobbs Act violations, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. Charges were filed as a result of an investigation by the South Bend Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case has been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald J. Schmid.

If convicted in court, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that an Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.